Libertarian Party unconcerned by being left off follow-up letter to some McHenry County voters

A mix-up that left the Libertarian Party off a letter to some voters had McHenry County Clerk Joe Tirio facing renewed criticism, though the Libertarian Party chairman said he wasn’t concerned.

The McHenry County Clerk’s Office sent out follow-up letters to about 75 voters who were missing information on their mail-in ballot applications, which left off the Libertarian Party as a choice in this year’s primary election.

The letters came after those voters had sent in applications without a party selected for the primary. The County Clerk’s Office in response sent those voters letters requesting they pick a party. Those letters did not include the Libertarian Party as an option.

The Democratic Party of McHenry County criticized Tirio in multiple social media posts following the incident.

“Tirio is at it again,” the party said in one post that incorrectly said the mistake applied to all mail-in voters. “... What if he can’t reach an applicant by phone? What if the applicant can’t call back? Do they still get a ballot?”

All voters in the group were followed up with, with almost all of them having been reached via a phone call, Tirio said this week. The remainder were sent another letter.

“I don’t have any doubt that everyone who wants a Libertarian choice will have the opportunity to get one,” he said.

Despite the error, Jim Young, the chairman of the McHenry County Libertarian Party, said he was looking forward to the primary.

“I am sure that the error was inadvertent and has been corrected by the clerk’s office,” Young said in an email.

The Libertarian Party has no competitive races in this year’s primary. Young said the real contest for his party doesn’t start until the lead-up to the general election in November, when they face the primary winners for the Republican and Democratic parties.

Kristina Zahorik, chairman of the McHenry County Democratic Party, said the mix-up is an example of a lack of transparency from the clerk’s office as voters weren’t sure what was going on with the issue. She called it another example of a “sloppy mistake” during this and past election cycles.

Two Democrats are vying in the June primary for the chance to face Tirio this fall in the general election. They’ve also pointed to past issues involving ballots and counting votes that have marred recent elections in McHenry County.

Kristine Paprocki, one voter impacted by the mix-up who said she’d be voting Democrat in the primary, said she thought it was a waste of staff time to have people calling voters. She holds Tirio responsible.

“I think making a mistake like this is an injustice to the voters of the county,” Paprocki said.